New Tricks’ star James Bolam has quit the hugely popular drama, just days after it was announced that the show was to have another series.

The actor’s agent confirmed that he is leaving the show saying, “James Bolam is not doing another series of New Tricks.”

According to the Telegraph the 76-year-old actor is reported to have said that the show had gone “stale”.

Bolam played central character Jack Halford in the long running BBC series, alongside co-stars Dennis Waterman, Amanda Redman and Alun Armstrong who make up a group of old-school police officers that are brought back from retirement to work on unsolved and open cases.

The programme is BBC’s most popular drama with viewing figures of just under 10 million.

The announcement comes just days after the BBC commissioned another series of the show with all cast members involved.

Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, even went so far to say that, “Amanda, Dennis, Alun and James are a dream team that BBC One viewers have taken to their hearts.”

The producers are now hoping to get Bolam to appear as a cameo in one of the episodes saying, “We are in talks with James about him returning for one episode next year. We are very excited about the return of the rest of the cast.”

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.

I don't watch it really, but Alun Armstrong is in it, isn't he? I used to mistake him for the late Pete Postlethwaite. I enjoyed him playing Bucket in Bleak House, and the really nasty (and nigh-indestructible) Flintwinch in Little Dorrit.